After an article on Monday publicizing a partnership between Foodlink and the Regional Transit Service (RTS) to deliver Summer Meals to children across Rochester, Gov. Cuomo’s office took notice.
In a Monday night e-newsletter, Cuomo included a shoutout to the partnership with a link to the article, calling it a “Deep Breath Moment.”
The partnership, launched this year in the wake of the Coronavirus’s impact on the Summer Meals program, which is accustomed to delivering meals to summer camps and other sites with large gatherings of children. Because of social-distancing guidelines and many programs being canceled or limiting their capacity, the Summer Meals Partnership of Rochester had to innovate to think of new ways to serve meals across Rochester.
The RTS is providing the vehicles and the drivers, while Foodlink prepares the meals and sends teens involved in Rochester’s Summer Youth program to help the drivers seek out families and draw attention to the program. The buses visit 5 neighborhoods that don’t have a nearby Summer Meals location, such as a school or a rec center. They circle neighborhoods between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., handing out free, healthy meals.
Learn more about the program at SummerMealsROC.org.
Below, is a screenshot of the newsletter.